


About a Boy

by lachatblanche



Series: About A Boy [1]
Category: Agent Carter (TV), X-Men (Movies), X-Men: First Class (2011) - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fusion, Families of Choice, First Meetings, Gen, bb!Charles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-07
Updated: 2015-02-07
Packaged: 2018-03-10 20:49:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,252
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3303017
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lachatblanche/pseuds/lachatblanche
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>‘Peggy,’ Howard speaks then, licking his lips and looking strangely uncertain. It’s an odd look on him. ‘Before I go – there’s one more favour I got to ask you.’</p>
            </blockquote>





	About a Boy

**Author's Note:**

> Because the idea of Peggy Carter meeting a tiny Charles Xavier was quite frankly irresistable.

They stand at the dock, Howard’s boat bobbing gently on the darkened water. Peggy stands quietly, letting the knowledge sink in that her life is going to be irrevocably changed now that she has accepted Howard’s request for her to effectively turn traitor in order to clear his name. She can’t say she minds all that much. 

The wind blows, shaking her from her ruminations and she glances down at her watch. It is late, she thinks; the waters will be choppy at this time of night. It can’t be helped though. Time is of the essence, and even as her mind races at the enormity of what she has taken on, she wonders why Howard hesitates beside the water, his expression torn and not a little guilty.

‘Peggy,’ Howard speaks then, licking his lips and looking strangely uncertain. It’s an odd look on him. ‘Before I go – there’s one more favour I got to ask you.’

Peggy, strangely unsurprised by this, slowly raises an elegant eyebrow. ‘Well, what’s one more favour in a long line of others?’ she asks, the light humour in her tone concealing the thread of anxiety that runs through her at Howard’s uneasy expression.

Howard doesn’t seem to notice. ‘This one … this one’s a little different from the others,’ he says, grimacing a little. ‘It’s … it’s kind of personal.’

Peggy’s curiosity is piqued at that. ‘Oh?’ she asks, crossing her arms over her chest. ‘Do tell.’

Howard shakes his head. ‘This isn’t like the other things that I asked you to do, Peg,’ he says, glancing up at where his valet is hovering beside the car, looking down on them. ‘See, I made this promise to a pal, and I had meant to keep it, but—’ his mouth twists unhappily. ‘Well, it’s a little hard to do that when you’re on the run.’

‘So now you expect me to keep it for you,’ Peggy surmises, raising an eyebrow.

‘Don’t worry about the keeping,’ Howard says hurriedly, inexplicably, taking a step forward and looking distinctly anxious. ‘Jarvis will be in charge of the keeping – him and Anna. I just—’ he hesitates. ‘I just want you to keep an eye out, you know? Look after things. Make sure everything’s … swell. ’

Peggy’s eyes are narrowed by the end of Howard’s speech and she places her hands upon her hips as he finishes. ‘Howard,’ she says slowly, fixing her eyes on him and daring him to look away. ‘What exactly was this promise that you made to your friend?’

Howard opens his mouth to say something before he closes it shut and gives her a wry smile. ‘Maybe it’ll be better if you see it instead of me explaining,’ he says cagily, before turning around and glancing up at his valet. ‘Jarvis,’ he calls, even as he straightens his back as if steeling himself for something. ‘Show Agent Carter what’s in the back seat, would you?’

‘Very good, sir,’ comes the murmured response. A moment later there is the sound of a car door opening, and, a few seconds after that, shutting once more. There are then a few slow footsteps – and then Jarvis is once more in their line of sight … only he is not alone as there, attached to his left hand is –

‘A child,’ Peggy breathes, not able to fully understand what she is seeing. ‘Howard, that is a child.’

‘You always were the observant one,’ Howard tries to joke, but it falls distinctly flat. He clears his throat and raises his chin. ‘That there’s Charlie,’ he says in a low voice. ‘My godson.’

Peggy takes a moment blink away her shock. ‘Someone made _you_ a godparent?’ she asks, and her tone really is surprised rather than teasing.

‘I know, right?’ Howard gives her a wry smile. ‘Then again, Brian always did look for the best in people.’

‘Brian?’ Peggy asks, glancing up at the boy at Jarvis’s side. He is small and pale with lots of floppy brown hair, and is dressed very smartly in a little grey suit. He can’t be more than ten years old, Peggy estimates, and even then he looks small for his age.

‘Brian Xavier,’ Howard answers her, and nods patiently as she turns to him with eyes widened in shock. ‘Yeah, _those_ Xaviers. Bri was a good friend of mine. Smart as hell, too.’ He nods over to the boy. ‘Smart enough to sign custody of Charlie over to me in case he bit it.’ His mouth twisted. ‘Smart enough to know that it wouldn’t be that long till he did.’

‘His mother—’ Peggy starts to ask but Howard is already shaking his head.

‘Sharon was never the maternal type,’ he says, a dark expression crossing his face. ‘And believe me when I say that the stepdad is even worse.’

‘I am sorry to hear that,’ Peggy says, shaking her head. ‘But I still don’t see what any of this has to do with me,’ she says, still trying to process the fact that Howard Stark is the legal guardian of his best friend’s child. ‘I am an SSR agent, Howard, not a – not a _babysitter_. I’m hardly qualified to—’ she pauses when she sees the look on Howard’s face. ‘That’s not what this is about, is it?’ she quietly asks, watching him closely. ‘There’s something else – something that you aren’t telling me.’

Howard looks at her for a moment. There is a pause. Then he sighs and turns up to look at Jarvis and the child, who are standing close together and waiting in silence. ‘Hey, Charlie,’ Howard calls, his voice oddly cheerful and bright. ‘I got a friend here that I want you to meet. This here’s Peggy – Peggy Carter. She’s gonna be looking in on you from time to time, alright?’

The boy stares back solemnly and nods.

Peggy glances at Howard, who nods at her, before stepping forward with a smile on her face. ‘Hello,’ she says, looking up at him kindly. She wishes that she knew what to say. She’s never really had to deal with children before, for all that she is fond of them. She decides to go with something simple, something honest. ‘I’m Peggy,’ she says, smiling. ‘I hope that we can be friends.’

The boy doesn’t say anything at first. He stares down at her, expressionless. Then he slowly turns to glance at Howard.

Howard, looking right back at him, nods.

The boy turns back to Peggy. And suddenly there are words in her head, words that are spoken by a child – by the child in front of her – only his lips do not appear to be moving.

 _Hello Peggy_ , he says in a clear, English voice, _My name is Charles, Charles Xavier. It is very nice to meet you._

Peggy turns, wide-eyed, to look at Howard.

Howard shrugs. ‘Told you this was different,’ is all he says.

Peggy turns her eyes back to the little boy, who looks straight back at her. He looks small and cold, and his hand is still clasped tightly in Jarvis’s.

‘What do you say, pal?’ Howard asks, as he too looks up at the boy, his shoulder pressed lightly against hers. ‘Can you do this for me?’

Peggy continues to watch the boy, watching how he shivers in the breeze despite the jacket on his shoulders. Her life, she thinks, is indeed irrevocably changed now.

‘Yes,’ she says, not looking away from the boy in front of her. ‘Yes, I can do this for you.’


End file.
